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How important/beneficial are upgrades?

sherpagirl

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 5, 2011
Messages
51
Hi Everyone!

I am continuing to work on creating a five-stone diamond band that will serve as both my e-ring and wedding ring. Because of this, I would want the ring to be a bit more "substantial" and have considered anywhere between a 1.25 to 1.50ctw (or .25 to .30 ct stones each) for specs. I plan to visit a few jewelry places this weekend to see if there are comparable rings, and try how it would look and feel on my size 5.25 finger.

That said, I have been talking with folks at BGD and WF about the potential project and for quotes. Both companies offer an upgrade policy on stones .30 or higher, and suggested to go this route if the funds allow the final price point. What is everyone's general feeling about the importance of an upgrade eligibility? IN other words, what pros and cons should I be considering in deciding whether to go with the .30 stones (if i like how it looks on my finger) in terms of upgrade benefits? Have any of you regretted not going for the larger stones because you wanted to upgrade down the road? And how exactly do upgrades work?

I'm so new to all of this so any guidance is deeply appreciated!!!

Thank you!
 

rubybeth

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 12, 2007
Messages
2,568
Upgrade policies vary from vendor to vendor, so you'd want to ask whoever you decide to work with for the specifics. Generally, you can just send back your piece with any documentation that came with it (certs) and they credit the stones you are 'upgrading' toward replacement stones. So, if you spend $600 on each of your 5 .3 stones ($3k total) and then later decide to go with .4 stones that are $800 each ($4k total), you'd only pay the $1k difference. Or, maybe you decide later you want higher color or clarity, so those stones cost more regardless of size.

If you're getting your 'dream' piece with the size/specs diamonds you like and don't like the look of bigger/care about higher color/clarity down the road, then an upgrade policy might be a moot point with you.

I know we generally recommend going with a vendor with a good upgrade policy to students/younger/lower budget shoppers so that their smaller solitaire can be turned into whatever size they want later and most of the budget goes toward the center stone instead of lots of melee. For a 5 stone, this is not such an issue.

Project sounds really lovely, btw!
 

Christina...

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 7, 2011
Messages
5,028
I think that since your going in a non traditional route I would want to have the oppurtunity to upgrade down the road. DSS sets in quite quickly in most of our cases, and if it happens to you, or later you decide that you wish you had done something more traditional, such as a solitaire, you'll be grateful that you have the policy to fall back on. That said, I think that you made a elegant choice with with a 5 stone. :love:
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 14, 2009
Messages
27,242
That sounds really lovely! I really like the engagement band idea - huge presence and impact, and great value for money in terms of sheer appearance!

If you are unsure if you will ever want to upgrade I would recommend choosing upgradable stones if you are able to swing it - I would only recommend not choosing upgradable stones if you are SURE you will never, ever want to, and anticipate that if you do want a more substantial piece down the line you'll be able to buy it outright. You don't want to regret not spending a few extra hundred now in five years... If you upgrade your stones you'd have to get a new setting though, I can't imagine re-purposing this one with five adjacent baskets made for stones of a specific size.


What's your finger size? With something like this band I think that will have a big impact on how you feel it looks, now and years from now.
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Messages
58,547
I think with that size stone you won't want to upgrade. My inclination would be to think .25-.30 stones would be plenty big enough for your finger size (which is close to mine), and I have also thought of that size if I should get a 5 stone. But the best way to know is to try some on as you mentioned. You could also save some money by going with the ones under .30 because you technically pay for those grading certificates.
 

sherpagirl

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 5, 2011
Messages
51
Thanks to everyone for the helpful responses!

Part of the reason why we are opting for a 5-stone vs. a more traditional solitaire is that we are trying to be mindful as to save money to buy a home together. Ultimately I would love to have a beautiful 1.5 ct RB solitaire, but I know that what I'm looking for in quality plus size is more than I can ask my SO to afford. I do love the 5 stones and think that for a potential fraction of the cost of a center stone, I could get something that is just as substantial and be happy.

That said, my feelings at this time are that down the road (maybe in 5 years?) I would love to get a solitaire/center stone, and I am torn with getting a 5stone band now that is slightly less in size (i.e. going for .20 stones) vs. going for .30 stones -- "knowing" that I may want to wear a solitaire with it. So I don't know if I would necessarily want to upgrade the stones to get the center one?

:rolleyes: So many things to think about!!!!
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Messages
58,547
I am just going to tell you that my solitaire stone is 1.6 cts., and really, my band with 10 pointers is more than I like to wear with it. I find that smaller stones is really more complimentary. So I would not buy a 5 stone with the idea of wearing it with an e-ring later. Either go with an eternity of smaller stones (under 10 pts.) to wear later with a diamond or plan on moving the 5 stone to your right hand if you want an e-ring and wedding band on the left. I started with the 10 pointer band and then went and got the Tiffany Legacy band which is much smaller but very sparkly and looks better with my e-ring. (If you are interested, I can show you a picture of both.)
 

sherpagirl

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 5, 2011
Messages
51
diamondseeker2006|1318469701|3038977 said:
I am just going to tell you that my solitaire stone is 1.6 cts., and really, my band with 10 pointers is more than I like to wear with it. I find that smaller stones is really more complimentary. So I would not buy a 5 stone with the idea of wearing it with an e-ring later. Either go with an eternity of smaller stones (under 10 pts.) to wear later with a diamond or plan on moving the 5 stone to your right hand if you want an e-ring and wedding band on the left. I started with the 10 pointer band and then went and got the Tiffany Legacy band which is much smaller but very sparkly and looks better with my e-ring. (If you are interested, I can show you a picture of both.)

I would love to see a picture of both if possible! Thank you and you make a good point. I didn't think about it that way...

Thanks!
 

slg47

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 4, 2010
Messages
9,667
what is your finger size? if you are looking at .30s you can probably get all the finger coverage you would ever need with a five stone so upgrading might not be important.

also I agree that a five stone with 0.20s or 0.30s would probably overpower a solitaire (but you may like the way it looks) so you could move your five-stone to your right hand when you get a solitaire?
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Messages
58,547
Here are diamond bands (size 5 1/2) with a 1.6 ct. diamond (10-11 pts. each in Memoire band and the other is a Tiffany Legacy band with maybe 1 pointers? .40 ctw):

leontiffany1.jpg

New Rings c.jpg
 

canuk-gal

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 19, 2004
Messages
25,646
HI:

I would always want the option to upgrade/change regardless whether I do or not.

cheers--Sharon
 

sherpagirl

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 5, 2011
Messages
51
slg47|1318470428|3038992 said:
what is your finger size? if you are looking at .30s you can probably get all the finger coverage you would ever need with a five stone so upgrading might not be important.

also I agree that a five stone with 0.20s or 0.30s would probably overpower a solitaire (but you may like the way it looks) so you could move your five-stone to your right hand when you get a solitaire?


My finger size is 5.25 --- so I'm hoping that the .30s won't feel too bulky? I am also thinking about going with platinum instead of white gold...
 

purplesilk

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Messages
2,109
If you could easily afford them, go with 30 pointers; when you get married, you can wear your 5 stones ring with a plain band or with a thin diamond band... you won't regret a traditional e-ring and I don't think you will ever upgrade a 30 pointers...great presence!!!

If down the road you get your dream solitaire, you can use the five stones band as a RHR.

A lot of beautiful real life pictures here:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-5-stone-ring-thread.134007/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-5-stone-ring-thread.134007/[/URL]

:wavey:
 

slg47

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 4, 2010
Messages
9,667
maybe try on a similar band or get a CAD to see how much of your finger the 0.30s would cover?
 

hmr_mama

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2009
Messages
519
My 2 cents
Because of sentamentality, I'm not sure an upgrade is all that important with your (very first) engagement ring. I don't think I would have gotten an upgrade if it meant I had to "give back" the ring my DH proposed with. But I'm a pretty sentimental person. And I think .20's would look lovely with a 1.5 solitaire. I will attach a photo of my eternity band (made with .35 carat stones) with my e-ring (1.543). This, to me, is too much.

eternity+ering 003.JPG
 

sherpagirl

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 5, 2011
Messages
51
hmr_mama|1318609967|3040281 said:
My 2 cents
Because of sentamentality, I'm not sure an upgrade is all that important with your (very first) engagement ring. I don't think I would have gotten an upgrade if it meant I had to "give back" the ring my DH proposed with. But I'm a pretty sentimental person. And I think .20's would look lovely with a 1.5 solitaire. I will attach a photo of my eternity band (made with .35 carat stones) with my e-ring (1.543). This, to me, is too much.

Thank you for your thoughts! Your e-ring and band are both beautiful! May I ask where your eternity band is from? i couldn't tell if it was bezel set?
 
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